Serve this tasty, healthy dhal as a vegetarian main meal or side dish. Adding tamarind to the lentils delivers fabulous sweet and sour flavour
Prep:15 mins
Serves 4 – 6
For the dhal430g toor dhal or red split lentils½ tsp turmeric2 large tomatoes, chopped (better if you remove the skin but not essential)5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated2 green chillies, chopped (deseeded if you don’t like it very hot)2 tbsp tamarind paste1 tsp hot chilli powder2 tsp ground coriander
STEP 1Soak the toor dhal for about 40 mins, then rinse well. Put it in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the turmeric, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies. Add 1.7 litres of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low and cook until you have a thick purée, adding water if it gets too dry. Dhal can be quite soupy or quite thick, depending on how you like it. Simply reduce it to thicken it, or add water to thin it. Season to taste.STEP 2When the dhal is at a thickness you like, add the tamarind, chilli powder (unless it’s already hot enough), and the ground coriander and check the seasoning.STEP 3Tempering is the last phase for a dhal. Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan and add the cumin seeds. Cook over a medium heat for about 30 secs, then add the garlic and cook for about 10 secs (the garlic should eventually become golden but not brown so don’t overdo it at this point), then add the dried chillies and the curry leaves, if using. Fry until the dried chillies have changed colour slightly and the curry leaves are crisp. Pour this over the dhal and stir. Cover and leave to sit for a few mins before serving.
